St. Photius: On the Essence of Icons by Fr. Ted Bobosh
Living in the literary culture of the 21st Century, and being shaped by the literary tradition of recent centuries, it is hard to imagine that at one time Christians, like Photius, thought the pictured icon to be “truer” than the written text – a more certain witness to the incarnation of Jesus Christ.

Closer Than My Own Father: Elder Paisios and His Spiritual Children, Part 1 by Ekaterina Stepanova
The path to Athos is open to men only. But in Greece there is a women’s monastery where they live according to strict Athonite rules and serve without electricity, by candlelight. This monastery, in the village of Souroti, was founded by Elder Paisios the Athonite, whose books have been so popular in the past few years in America and Russia. A correspondent of “Neskuchnii Sad” headed to Souroti to meet with people who remember Elder Paisios.

Sadly, the phrase ‘Pan-Orthodox’ really means ‘only for selected Orthodox’. In fact, it means ‘for new calendarists only’ (thus, excluding 85% of Orthodox), and for ecumenists, modernists, freemasons and liberal intellectuals (thus, excluding 99.9% of the rest). How has this distortion of meaning come about?

There is no mention of tyranny in the Old Testament -- were tyrants seen as a punishment deserved by the people in all instances? If the list is scriptural, one should be hesitant to add to it, but what seem to be other candidates? Social Justice Warriors may have their own choices; I think of tyranny and the imposition of a feminist legal and social order, which is contrary to Natural Law. (Catholics who have been indoctrinated in liberalism would disagree.)

On what basis does Mark Arey present his novel interpretations as if they were the correct Orthodox understanding of this passage? Certainly not on the basis of the Fathers. Certainly not on the basis of how the Church has always understood this passage.

Then the service ends. The pilgrim leaves the church and heads to the feast in the refectory. But at the same time, he hears the Vespers hymns in his mind—“Lord I have cried unto Thee, hearken unto me.”

Protsingel Arsenie (Muscalu) is one of the most respected Romanian spiritual fathers of our days. In this interview we offer to our readers, an experienced father confessor talks about temptations, warnings to young people on the path to Christ, and about how Christians can lose God’s grace.

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